Executives from the Bill & Melinda Gates, Coca-Cola and State Farm Foundations Will Discuss Corporate Responsibility at National Hispanic Corporate Council's Annual Member Meeting

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Hispanic Corporate Council will hold its annual member meeting in Bentonville, Arkansas, October 19-21, hosted by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. The members will confer on topics covering Corporate Social Responsibility and Hispanic Marketing. Celia Swanson, Senior VP, Change Management for Wal-Mart, Stores, Inc. will welcome the members, followed by Harriet Hentges, Senior Director, Stakeholder Engagement who will open the conference. Carol Cone, Chair of Cone Communications, Inc. and a noted expert in the area of corporate social responsibility will discuss emerging trends based on her company's research findings. A panel that includes Helen Smith Price, Executive Director of The Coca-Cola Foundation; Sandra Licon, Policy Officer for Education for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Mike Fernandez, Vice President Corporate Communications & External Relations, for State Farm Insurance Company will present best practice information on corporate responsibility and corporate giving.

Carl Kravetz, Chair of the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies, and Chairman & Chief Strategic Office of cruz/kravetz:IDEAS will talk about the trends in Hispanic marketing and the changes that can be expected in the future to include findings from current data. Consumer product companies represented by Paul Mendieta, Director of Ethnic Marketing, Coors Brewing Company; Adrianna P. Lynch, Vice President Retail Hispanic Marketing, ConAgra Foods, Inc.; and Graciela Eleta, Vice President of Multicultural Marketing for Procter & Gamble will share successful "to market" strategies.

Felipe Korzenny, PhD, Professor and Director of the Center for the Study of Hispanic Marketing Communication, and Cheskin Co-Founder will present information from recent research. A leading author, educator and Hispanic marketing expert, Dr. Korzenny will provide information on the trends in U.S. Hispanic market segmentation.

The NHCC conference attendees will have the opportunity to participate in Wal-Mart's weekly performance conference call at the Wal-Mart Development Center. A visit by NHCC Representatives to Rogers High School is planned. NHCC's Stay In-School Program, established in 1997, brings together high school students and corporate executives to discuss opportunities in the corporate world and the importance of pursuing a higher education.

The National Hispanic Corporate Council is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing its member companies the resources, market intelligence, collective expertise, education and counsel to implement proven strategies for reaching the Hispanic community externally and leveraging Hispanic talent internally.

CONTACT: Helen Trinidad of the National Hispanic Corporate Council, +1-703-850-4338